Many people who read, watch, or listen to news sources that make an honest attempt at impartiality have by now heard questions about the extent that the Tea Party movement is truly “grass-roots.” Many carefully researched reports have surfaced lately, finding that some of the wealthiest and most sophisticated people in the country have been funding the Tea Party movement with astronomically large donations funneled through shady groups. This article, an opinion piece appearing in the Guardian, does a good (if very leftward-slanted) job of summarizing what is known of the Tea Party’s funding sources:

I find it very frustrating that many people’s genuine alarm about country’s current situation, particularly the continued economic problems that affect most of us, have been co-opted by powerful people who apparently have no interest in our well-being.

The Tea Party movement, as it currently stands, appears to be the opposite of a common sense movement. Its frustration is legitimate and clearly appropriate – we all feel it. But its highly ideological opposition to government, and especially government safety net programs, seems like proof to me that the powerful interests behind the movement have managed to trick ordinary Americans into voting and rallying clearly and simply against their own interests. This is a serious problem for all of us.